What’s in Dave Seaman’s DJ Box?

What’s in Dave Seaman’s DJ Box?

4 August, 2009 | 4.51AM

• Written by: Zack Rico
• Filed under: Music News: audio therapy, dave seaman, dj box

“Progressive house for me was always more of a spirit than a genre,” says Dave Seaman, the British DJ and producer who has flown the flag for dark electronic house since its earliest beginnings. “Even back in the 90s I always used to play a variety of styles, from the housier side of the Tenaglia and Twisted stuff, through to the more techno styled Slam and Christian Smith productions. In that respect, I still keep the same philosophy.”

As one half of Brothers In Rhythm, Seaman remixed M People, Kylie Minogue, Pet Shop Boys, Seal, and other pop stars in the 1990s. Since becoming a DJ, he is one of only a handful of artists to have consistently produced mix compilations for the leading prog-centric labels Global Underground and Renaissance. 

Progressive house has changed much over the years, and as one of its main flag bearers Seaman witnessed prog’s dramatic rise in the late 1990s, and has seen its subsequent metamorphosis through till today.

“It started to take itself far too seriously and it became boring,” he says, of prog’s fall from grace. “We were swamped with wave after wave of sub standard diluted down tunes all devoid of any originality, all trying to jump on the bandwagon.

The genres are just nonsense now. The lines between them have become so blurred. One man’s techno, is another’s prog, is another’s trance. It’s all a bit of a joke really.

“It happens to a lot of scenes once they get bigger. Personally I think it’s happening to what people are calling techno at the moment. But of course there is always still plenty of good stuff being created.

“It just takes a lot more time and effort to find it and as we all know, most music journalists are more interested in the holy grail of the next big thing to be bothered with that.”

Part of the problem, is the slowly diminishing relevancy of genre classification. “I look at the progressive chart on Beatport and don’t recognize half of the tracks as being prog. Meanwhile there are loads of tracks in the techno and tech house charts that to my mind are out and out progressive,” he says.

“The genres are just nonsense now. The lines between them have become so blurred. One man’s techno, is another’s prog, is another’s trance. It’s all a bit of a joke really.”

Dave Seaman’s new mix compilation ‘This Is Audio Therapy Vol.2’ is perhaps a shining beacon in the crumbling progressive house wasteland. Whilst the walls of the genre continue to move as technology and trends confuse the system, Seaman’s mix is packed full of innovative futuristic sounds, deep hypnotic melodies, and dark house rhythms, that carry the true essence of what progressive house stands for.

“We planned this release from the start of the year and everybody involved in the remixes personally chose their project, so it resulted in an album of excellent productions, we’re very proud of it,” he says.

“In the end, I just play whatever I like. I don’t worry myself too much about which genre it falls in. It’s all just electronic dance music and it shouldn’t really matter what flavour it is as long as it tastes good.”

Was it hard for Dave Seaman to find tracks for this mix album? “Not really. My CD wallet is full of them,” he says. With that in mind, we decided to peek inside Dave’s wallet to find out what DJ treasures he has hidden away.

Favorite set opener?

Claude Von Stroke ‘Aundy’

That can change by the week. But at the moment, Michel De Hey & M.I.R.K.O ‘Rose’ is an amazing starter for ten.

Claude Von Stroke’s ‘Aundy’ is pretty tasty too.

Secret weapon only you have a copy of?

Jon Hopkins ‘Light Through The Veins’ (Dave Seaman edit)

I’ve just finished a version of Ewan Pearson’s mix of Jon Hopkins ‘Light Through The Veins’ for my new Renaissance comp. It’s other worldy!

Trippiest record?

Micromattic ‘Reconstellation’ or ‘Tweak Peaks’

There’s a guy called Micromattic that’s doing some pretty schizo stuff at the moment.

Try ‘Reconstellation’ or  ‘Tweak Peaks’ on Absolutive Records. That shit will mess with your head.

Killer vocal track?

Doves ‘Jetstream’ (Sasha Mix) [Phonica]

Sasha’s mix of Doves ‘Jetstream’ is a monster. But I absolutely love Florence & Machine’s ‘Rabbit Heart’. In fact, I’ve got a Traffik mash up booty of the two together!

Bassline weapon?

Glanta ‘Who Is Jon Loss?’ (David West Remix)

This track is dirty old school warehouse business.

The record that will never leave your box as long as you live?

Joe Smooth ‘Promised Land’

Nuff said.

Oldie that everyone else has probably forgotten?

Agoria ‘Baboul Hair Cuttin’ (Radioslave mix)

Radio Slave’s mix of Agoria ‘Baboul Hair Cuttin’ is from 2005 I think, but sounds as current now as ever.

Get out of jail card?

Popof ‘Shades’

Popof ‘Shades’ is a huge man-mountain of a club tune complete with a ‘Dooms Night’ style bass drop. It never fails.

One more tune of the night finisher?

Way Out West ‘Only Love’ [due out in August]

The sound of summer. A superb pop record.

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